The Wrong Choice
by HeirOfSerenity
Summary: You never should have listened to Terezi. Your dad always told you how important rules were and you just had to go and cheat, didn't you? Now your sister is dead because of you, and the lives of your two remaining friends are in your hands.


Your name is John Egbert and you are terrified out of your thirteen-year-old mind.

You navigate the empty corridors of your Denizen's lair, oil dripping onto the floor from the multitude of pipes coming out of the framework of the castle. The footsteps of your alchemized leather shoes creates echoes far louder than you could ever imagine. You're honestly surprised you haven't found anyone inside here, peaceful or belligerent. Terezi made it sound as though you would have to be sneaky in order to reach your Denizen. Man, was she wrong.

So far you hadn't come across anyone yet. You've lost track of how long you've been walking for-you want to say it's been hours, but it probably hasn't even been one hour yet.

There are all sorts of elaborate murals decorating the walls. A majority of them are covered with oil, but you can make out the familiar shape of your consorts as well as fireflies. It's written in a language you don't know, so you don't dwell on it for too long.

Your shift the pogo-hammer between your hands. The weight is heavy to you and your arms are beginning to hurt from holding it. You captchalog it and continue through the halls.

A while later you feel a distinct shift in the air. So far the air had been stale and unmoving, but you can now feel a gentle breeze emanating from the hallway to your right. Your Denizen is supposedly reluctant to let anyone but itself use "The Breeze", so you decide to go with your gut and follow it.

The height of the ceiling gradually increases as does the width. You notice the walls are decorated with images you haven't seen yet and the details are hard to make out in the dim light from the torches. You discern the images are of you and your friends. Your ecto-sister is staring at the sky with what appears to be a giant flaming meteor. You frown and look at the sleeping depiction of Rose. She appears troubled, which would make sense if Jade's Dream Self explanation is anything to go by.

Dave meanwhile appears to be staring at something above you. His head is tipped back but his mouth appears set in a permanent frown. His hands are clasping a sword above his head as if in challenge of something. Behind Dave's head is what appears to be a time gear-which makes sense given his Aspect being Time—but everything else leaves you with more questions than answers.

You hear a distant noise—almost a groan but far too airy—and it snaps you from your daze. Right, your mission. Terezi gave you valuable info and you don't have much time. If you want to win this game, you better get on with it.

The end of the grand hallway leads to a set of double doors with a wind-like symbol on the door. You stare at it. The doors easily weigh thousands of pounds being made of stone and close to thirty feet high. You tilt your head and inspect your surroundings looking for some sort of clue or puzzle. Your right hand gently caresses the door, causing the symbol to glow a bright blue and the doors swing open.

You cover your eyes as harsh lights assaults them. You slowly acclimate and un-shield your eyes and you're greeted by the lumbering figure of your Denizen.

" **YOU HAVE COME AT LAST, HEIR OF BREATH. I AM TYPHEUS. I AM THE MASTER OF THIS WORLD AND THE BREEZE. I KNOW ALL THAT WILL HAPPEN AND YOUR REASON FOR SEEKING ME.** " You flinched at the booming voice, somehow light yet carrying nothing but thrumming bass. You clench your hands into fists and straighten your back. Your father always taught you how important it was to address someone with respect. Even if that someone is a monster so massive he probably didn't notice your change in posture, but you'd be lying if you said you didn't feel more confident.

"I am prepared to face the Choice."

The ground shakes violently as Typheus emits what you can only imagine is a laugh. The power of his voice causes you to lose your balance and fall forward onto your hands and knees. The beast tilts its head down to you mockingly and any confidence you had has fled. Its giant, razor-teeth filled mouth is only a few feet away from you. Holy fuck you're _scared_.

" **YOUR INABILITY TO ADHERE TO THE RULES WILL BE YOUR DOWNFALL, HEIR. YOU CANNOT CHEAT YOUR DENIZEN AND FOR THAT YOU MUST PAY. MAKE YOUR CHOICE WISELY, HEIR OF BREATH.** " You swear your stomach is in your throat and all you can hear is the hammering of your heart. Oh god, she set you up that _bit-._

" **YOUR RASH ACTIONS HAVE RESULTED IN A NULL SESSION. YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE MY LAIR ALIVE. YOUR CHOICE, HEIR: EITHER FLEE AND ALLOW THE KNIGHT AND SEER TO ATTEMPT TO SAVE YOU, ONLY TO PERISH ALONGSIDE YOU-OR, REPENT FOR YOUR TRANSGRESSIONS AND DIE. THE WITCH DIES NO MATTER THE OUTCOME. MAKE YOUR CHOICE."**

You stare blankly ahead. Everything is numb. You can't…you can't _die_. Fuck Terezi! She doomed you _and_ this timeline _and_ your friends. And now you have to make a choice that will determine your friends' lives. You've already sentenced Jade to death because of you took a troll's advice. You can still save Dave and Rose though. They don't have to die with you, and you'll be damned if you're bringing anyone else down with you.

"I chose to face my death."

Typheus grins a wicked smile and he disappears before your eyes. You twist and turn, looking for what will surely bring your end.

The ground trembles before you yet again, and steam erupts into the room.

The pipes send scorching hot steam into your body and you scream as you're thrown into the wall. You're pressed to the wall and you feel the heat start to peel away at the layers of your skin as it blisters an ugly and painful red. The heat makes it difficult to breathe. It feels like that time you accidentally ate a peanut and you began to asphyxiate—only this is much, _much_ worse. Your dad can't save you this time. You're alone and you're going to die.

As a last resort you tilt your head back to try and fill your oxygen-deprived lungs. The outer layer of your epidermis has sizzled away and now you're openly bleeding from the searing heat. Your glasses have partially spared your eyes from the heat, but tears are beginning to cloud your vision. Typheus—the fucking asshole—is slowly burning you to death.

The pain increases more than you could have ever have imagined. Blackness is starting to eat at the edges of your vision. You probably don't have more than a minute before you're gone.

You finally concentrate on a single dot in the sky. It's bright and beautiful. You wish you could have seen Skaia for yourself.

Your last thought is of realization. You understand the meaning of Dave's picture, and all you can do is blame yourself.

You close your eyes, and cease to be.


End file.
